Education Week Teacher Assistant Editor Madeline Will, along with other contributors, explores the latest news, ideas, and resources for teacher leaders. Coverage runs the gamut from the inspirational to the infuriating, from practical classroom tips to raging policy debates.

Resource Watch: Students Can Now Publish Their Letters to the Next President

The National Writing Project and PBS member station KQED just launched a website, Letters to the Next President 2.0, that will publish thousands of students' letters on the issues that matter to them this election. The initiative is aimed at students aged 13 to 18 who might not be able to vote but still have opinions about policies being discussed on the campaign trail—and what they hope will be the next president's priorities.

"Letters to the Next President 2.0 has been developed by educators who understand that civic engagement is valuable in its own right," said Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, executive director of the National Writing Project, in a statement. "When we give students a platform to speak out on issues, we provide them with a powerful and authentic purpose for learning, writing, and media making."

Teachers can create accounts on the website and invite their students to register and then submit letters in written or multimedia formats.

For instance, one letter includes a video of the student interviewing her mother about her grandmother's immigration story—and then asks the next president what his or her stance on immigration is. "I hope that listening to this story informs your policy on immigration, and encourages you to make the process of immigration more welcoming for others like my grandma," the student wrote.

One student ended his letter on transgender rights and racial profiling with a plea for the next president to listen to him:

"I know I may be young, and I know I'm not able to vote yet, but I am the future of this nation," the student wrote. "I am a person who lives here, in the United States of America, and I have things to say. I may only be a kid, but I am an American kid, and my voice matters. I need you to hear me."

Categories:

Tags:

Notice: We recently upgraded our comments. (Learn more here.) If you are logged in as a subscriber or registered user and already have a Display Name on edweek.org, you can post comments. If you do not already have a Display Name, please create one here.

Ground Rules for Posting
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.